Affirmation Project

This project arose from my own need for reassurance, support, and comfort. After experiencing burnout at work and taking some time to recover and heal, I realized I didn’t want to return to the same kind of work in the same context. It took several months to decide that pursuing a creative business would make me the happiest – a dream I had put on hold for 20 years. I felt in my gut that this was the right path, but I could also feel the familiar anxiety of uncertainty and fear of failure. I felt fragile and vulnerable, and I worried about having an adequate income. If I looked to others for encouragement or validation, the effects didn’t last. If I looked for answers outside myself, I would never feel whole, safe, or capable of turning my dream into a reality.

I had to become my own coach, parent, and cheerleader. So I thought about what I wanted – if I was to be successful, what did I need? I decided that I needed creative abundance – inspiration, expression, and the potential for prosperity. As I began to bring the concept of creative abundance into my imagination, I thought about the verbs (action words) and values that needed to be activated and turned into supportive affirmations. For me, an affirmation is like a mantra or a prayer that I use to remind myself that I am capable, worthy and loved. Powerful words empower me and help me to be more compassionate towards myself. They remind me that I am connected to everything in the universe, so why shouldn’t I be able to manifest what I want?!

Over the course of several weeks, I refined some phrases and repeated them to myself as I went about my day. At first, they energized me, but then they faded, as do most things that are not yet habits. I know that I have limiting beliefs – most people over the age of 6 do – and I also know that those neural pathways can be changed, but not solely through the power of positive thought. If our nervous system gets triggered due to past trauma or a lack of psychological safety, we often try to think our way through it, in cycles of anxiety and depression. What tools might be helpful to change that pattern? What can I do to activate my inner wisdom in stressful moments rather than letting my default response take over?

I had to get the concept out of my head if I was going to turn it into reality. I needed to feel it in my heart and my gut. It should make my heart rate increase and compel me to action in a good way – more like excited anticipation rather than the familiar grip of anxiety. If emotions are messages from our subconscious through our body, then could I reverse engineer the emotional process created in my body using the affirmation and create embodiment? We are not just floating heads, and we need to listen to what our body feels and knows.  

As I practiced saying the affirmation, and researched ways to embody it, ideas came pouring in. Images, symbols, and colours started flowing into my sketch book. When I got out my clay and started shaping it, the smell of the clay filled me, and the cool, soft texture soothed me. I felt joy for the first time in ages.

This is how I came to understand that the experience of creative abundance involves all of the senses! It makes sense – as humans we experience and interact with the world using all of the physical inputs we have access to – so any empowering, habit-changing work should also be multi-sensory! As I read, researched, and remembered what I already knew, a whole interconnected system began to form in my mind. I started building a list of other affirmations I wanted to create, and a database to capture everything and start to organize it. My little idea was turning into a project that motivated and excited me.

I started to see signs that this was the right path, through interactions with others and a few serendipitous encounters where I got good feedback on my ideas. The universe is aligning to bring this to life. When the inevitable difficult moments of life overwhelm us, we can return to the comfort of ourselves to heal and grow. I hope the Affirmation Project is a seed that will grow to nourish the hearts of other brave and empathetic women in our community!

Stay tuned for opportunities to provide input and for release of items for sale!